Asia & Pacific

The ICJ programme on Asia and the Pacific covers the region from Pakistan to the Pacific Islands.With its regional headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, and its South Asia office in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Asia & Pacific Programme builds on the ICJ’s decades of experience in the region to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights in the largest and most populous region on the planet.As the region increasingly asserts its influence on the global stage in economic and political terms, it has struggled to assume a commensurate position in defence of human rights.

ICJ’s work in Asia and the Pacific seeks to remedy this imbalance through engagement with individual countries as well as increasing reliance on regional advocacy.

The ICJ Asia & Pacific Programme works with human rights defenders, judges, lawyers, government officials and business enterprises to ensure that respect for human rights keeps pace with the tremendous economic growth in parts of the region.

In particular, ICJ supports efforts to establish a strong regional framework for protecting and promoting human rights – an issue on which the region lags far behind the rest of the world.

East Asia

ICJ has been working for decades on the promotion and protection of rights in East Asia, especially on the challenges of respecting human rights in the context of high economic growth.